Intel slapped their stamp of approval on the latest and greatest from Corsair. The “hand screened” and individually tested memory runs well past the 2GHz “fastest XMP-certified memory in the world,” also manufactured by Corsair.

The XMP-Ready certification was awarded to Corsair’s Dominator GTX (CMGTX1) running at just 1.65V and timings of 9-11-9-27. The new memory is available now within Corsair's Online storefront. In addition to the XMP-Ready certification at 2333MHz, Corsair guarantees the memory to operate at factory timings and voltages up to 2400MHz.

While price is hardly ever a factor for those interested in this bleeding-edge technology, even the most stone-faced enthusiast would balk at the $200 per 2GB stick price tag.

Both AMD and Intel have fully embraced DDR3, and as a result, no one wants DDR2 anymore. Demand for DDR2 has fallen by the wayside, while DDR3 is selling through the roof. For Korea-based DRAM makers, the situation has left them with a surplus of DDR2 modules, and they don't want them any more than consumers do.

The solution? Bundle DDR3 modules with DDR2 chips. Doing so will help clear out DDR2 inventories that have been piling up, and will also help keep the price gap between the two standards from widening. According to DigiTimes' industry sources, the strategy is to minimize the impact that a DDR2 oversupply and DDR3 shortage would have on the market.

As it stands, sport market prices for 1.3GHz 1Gb DDR3 chips are averaging about $3.08, compared to $2.50 for 800MHz 1Gb DDR2 chips, according to the latest data from DRAMeXchange.

While perhaps not as resilient as the 3.5-inch floppy disk, DDR2 is doing its damnedest to avoid obsolescence. The only trouble with that is that memory chip makers aren't showing much interest in prolonging DDR2's relevance in the market place, not when faced with steep drops in contract quotes for DDR2 chips.

Just about every DRAM maker has shifted their capacity to the production of DDR3 chips, and in some cases (like with Powerchip Semiconductor Corporation), production is so lopsided that shares of DDR3 wafers have climbed above 70 percent. That's a big change from the third quarter of 2009, when PSC's DDR3 production sat somewhere between 0-5 percent of overall output.

But PSC isn't the only one. Both Nanya and Inotera Memories have also ramped up DDR3 output. And according to DRAMeXchange, Nanya is likely to see DDR3 consume 90 percent of the company's production.

Mushkin this week beefed up its high-end Blackline lineup of DDR3 memory with new kits, including a 12GB triple channel DDR3-1600 package.

"These new memory products we are introducing give our customers superior flexibility with their systems. Whether they are looking for a high density 8GB or 12GB kit with fast DDR3-1600 CL7 performance, or a lower density kit that allows them to overclock their machines to levels they never dreamed possible, Mushkin Enhanced has their needs covered," said Brian Flood, director of product development.

The kits include:

4GB (2x2GB) DDR3-2000, 9-11-9-27, 1.65V, Blackline

8GB (2x4GB) DDR3-1600, 7-9-8-24, 1.65V, Blackline

12GB (3x4GB) DDR3- 1600, 7-9-8-24, 1.65V, Blackline

Mushkin says the new kits will be available "in the coming weeks." No word yet on pricing.

There's overkill, and then there's Kingston just-announced 24GB HyperX memory kit, which is like swatting a fly with a cinder block laced with grenades.

"We are pleased to make available the largest HyperX memory kits ever for the prosumers, multimedia pro, or super enthusiast who wants everything," said Mark Tekunoff, senior technology manager, Kingston. "Users working with the latest operating systems like Windows 7 can keep multiple programs open, run memory intensive video or photo applications, or run numerous virtual machines using 24GB or 16GB of DDR3 HyperX memory and create more efficiency and performance gains than ever before."

The massive 24GB kit comes rated at 1600MHz with timings set at 9-9-9-27. It consists of six DIMMs, each running at 1.65V.

For the more modest enthusiast, there's also the dual-channel 16GB kit with the same settings, but you'll save yourself a little over $500.

The 24GB kit is available now for $1,598, while the 16GB kit sells for $1,065.

The new year is supposed to bring about change, but it might just be more of the same, at least in the memory industry. According to Simon Chen, chairman of memory maker A-Data, DRAM chip supply will remain tight throughout most of 2010.

On the plus side, Chen doesn't anticipate any major price hikes. But he did warn that with major producers playing it conservative the past couple of years rather than putting a bigger focus on capacity expansion, supply will have a tough time keeping up with demand.

Chen's comments fall in line with a recent DRAMeXchange report suggesting the market will see a shortage, which seems to be the general sentiment in the memory industry. Elpida Memory CEO Yukio Sakamoto recently voiced the same concern.

As for A-Data, Chen said his company plans to add 3 or 4 new overseas offices, bringing the total to 16 or 17. The new offices will most likely be opened in China, India, or both.

If you've never used one of G.Skill's Pi-series memory kits before, you're missing out, but not for long. The memory maker today announced it's working on five additional dual-channel Pi-series DDR3 kits ranging in frequency from 2000MHz to 2400MHz. Here's how it all breaks down:

It's that time of year again, when CES looms just around the corner and company's giddy with anticipation begin teasing with sneak peeks of what's to come. Enter Kingston, the memory maker who over the weekend released a few photos of its upcoming liquid-cooled memory modules.

To be released under the company's HyperX brand, the liquid-cooled DDR3 kit comes with barbs for connecting to existing water cooling loops. And while these modules will obviously be aimed at overclockers, Kingston didn't say what frequency the upcoming chips will ship at, or any other specs, such as voltage or latencies.

According to Bit-tech, the modules are currently undergoing testing in Kingston's labs before the company makes a formal announcement during CES next month.

Timing the purchase of RAM can be as maddening as trying to predict the stock market. It's entirely possible to plunk down a wad of cash on a memory kit, only to watch as prices plummet a week later. That said, if you're in need of a memory upgrade, now might be a good time to buy.

Or at least that's the message we take away from market research firm DRAMeXchange, who warns that a DRAM shortage looms. The firm notes a lack of capital investment as the reason why, adding that there's already a shortage of some memory densities because of a recovery in the PC market. DRAMeXchange says some OEMs paid as much as $55 for 2GB DDR2 modules in the sport market.

The firm says that year-on-year PC shipment growth could climb to 13 percent in 2010, putting pressure on memory makers to keep up with demand.

Hynix today announced what it claims are the industry's first 2Gb (gigabit) GDDR5 chips using the 40nm manufacturing process. Boasting 7Gb/s of bandwidth and processing power of up to 28GB/s with a 32-bit I/O, these rank as the highest density graphics memory available.

But it's not all about sheer speed. Hynix says its new 2Gb chips also impress on the power consumption front. With an operation voltage of 1.35V, energy consumption drops down by 20 percent over previous parts built on 50nm technology, the company claims.

Hynix will begin mass producing the new chips in the second half of next year to coincide with increased demand for high-performance graphics memory.